


Partners in Crime

by awkwardsausage



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Protective Ushijima Wakatoshi, Slightly Possessive Ushijima Wakatoshi, Training Camp, Treasure Hunt (Game), Wingman Tendou Satori, Wingman Tsukishima Kei, haikyuu rarepair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:14:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24124195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awkwardsausage/pseuds/awkwardsausage
Summary: An unexpected pairing for a night treasure hunt during a training camp.'In all honesty, nothing Yamaguchi had experienced could have prepared him for this.'
Relationships: Ushijima Wakatoshi/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 84
Kudos: 319





	1. And So The Game Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Ushiyama needs more love.
> 
> Note: This takes place after their nationals so Karasuno has enough reputation to have a training camp with Shiratorizawa except that they didn't fight against one another at nationals so it's their first time meeting :)

In all honesty, nothing Yamaguchi had experienced could have prepared him for this.

He stared at the back of his partner who seemed to be looking for him and swallowed, glancing around as everyone else scrambled to find their own partners for the pair treasure hunt. Hinata was already pouncing on Goshiki and Tsukki had reluctantly approached Tendou who now had an arm over Tsukki’s shoulder, rambling on about his week without regard for Tsukki’s obvious discomfort. Kageyama had somehow disappeared amongst the chaos. It was the first night of their training camp at Shiratorizawa and Hinata had burst into their dorms, suggesting to do more bonding activities with the Shiratorizawa volleyball team so that they could get to know one another better.

Frankly, Yamaguchi didn’t see the point and neither did the majority of the Karasuno team. After all, they were supposed to be their rivals. But with much persuasion and begging from Hinata, Daichi had given in and slinked off to the Shiratorizawa dorms.

This led Yamaguchi to his current predicament.

“Are you Karasuno’s number 12?” A deep voice rumbled and Yamaguchi yelped, looking up to see none other than Ushijima Wakatoshi blinking down at him. Despite being only half a head taller than him, Ushijima had an aura around him that made him seem a lot more intimidating. He had a bulky build and piercing eyes, giving him a sort of intensity that sent shivers down Yamaguchi’s spine. Yamaguchi remembered watching Shiratorizawa play against Aoba Johsai in the Miyagi Prefectural Qualifiers Finals. Ushijima was a _beast_. Every spike had sent a spark of terror right through Yamaguchi’s very being even though he hadn’t even been playing. The raw power in his every movement could send anyone up and running.

Yamaguchi was terrified. He knew as a naturally timid person that he was afraid of a lot of things, including but not limited to - the dark, spiders, bees, public speaking, messing up in front of people, anything supernatural and clowns, but surely this pairing took the cake. Ushijima was unnervingly quiet and Yamaguchi could feel his eyes scrutinising every inch of him. It was almost like he was sizing up his prey. Dread pooled in Yamaguchi’s chest.

“Ah yes! I- I am,” Yamaguchi stuttered when he realised Ushijima had been expecting an answer. Ushijima raised his eyebrows and nodded, extending a hand to Yamaguchi.

“I am Ushijima Wakatoshi.”

“Ah, and I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi!” Yamaguchi blurted out and took his hand, trying not to look surprised at the fact that Ushijima’s hands were much bigger and more calloused as compared to his smaller, softer ones. Ushijima could crush his hand just by making a fist. Ushijima’s mouth quirked up at the corners into a seemingly sinister half-smile that made Yamaguchi’s frail heart sink.

“Let us work well together, Yamaguchi Tadashi.”

“O-Of course, Ushijima, uh, yeah.”

Yamaguchi was going to die.

\-----

“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” Takeda-sensei rubbed his face and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “Okay this is how the game will work: In pairs, you guys will go around Shiratorizawa looking for clues that I have placed around and hidden. Pairs that get to the final location fastest get an advantage in the final game.”

A chorus of cheers and groans resounded across the gym.

Yamaguchi glanced nervously at Ushijima. He had his eyes set in a somewhat bored expression as he waited for the debriefing. Ushijima seemed like the type who would want to win. Did he want to win? How much effort should he be putting in? Yamaguchi tried to squint at his face but couldn’t decipher the blank look on his face.

“Yamaguchi, is there something on my face?”

Yamaguchi squeaked and shook his head violently. He hadn’t noticed Ushijima peering back at him curiously. His eyebrows arched up in amusement as he watched Yamaguchi spluttering beside him. Yamaguchi scrambled desperately for something to say.

“Your face!” Yamaguchi gestured vaguely and Ushijima looked confused. “I think- Your face! It’s- It’s- Your face is pretty!” Yamaguchi immediately buried his face in his hands.

Your face is pretty? What kind of person just says that? Ushijima must think he was a creep. Yamaguchi peeked from between his fingers up at the other man who continued staring blankly at him. Yamaguchi’s face flushed as Ushijima seemed to open his mouth to say something.

“Yamaguchi-”

“LET THE GAMES BEGIN!” Takeda-sensei declared and pairs started running out of the gym.

“Ah! Oh well, looks like we’ve got to go!” Yamaguchi quickly grabbed Ushijima’s sleeve and pulled him out of the gym, relieved that he didn’t have to hear what Ushijima had to say.

Ushijima silently let himself be dragged along by the blushing boy.

Tonight was going to be a long night.


	2. Greater Heights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kabedon?

“Okay so they would probably hide the clues in places that are hard to reach or hard to find right? Maybe places like cupboards or like shelves? Do you think they would have placed them under the tables? Ah maybe not, that would be too hard to see here. On the chairs perhaps?”

“Mm.”

They were walking down one of the dimly-lit corridors with classrooms lining the sides. Yamaguchi rambled to Ushijima, hoping to fill the awkward silence between them. Right off the bat, Yamaguchi knew Ushijima was a man of few words. He barely even responded to some of Yamaguchi’s questions, only giving curt nods or affirmative grunts. He even almost seemed… awkward.

Yamaguchi sighed in relief. At least he wasn’t the only one feeling weird about this arrangement.

After all, they were probably polar opposites. Ushijima was like the strong, silent type. The kind that had a huge presence in a room even without saying anything. Himself, on the other hand, was more of a background kind of guy.

He peeked tentatively at Ushijima who seemed to be looking into the classrooms on the other side. He seemed to be scanning the classrooms thoroughly, every action as deliberate as if he were still on the court. The initial intimidation of meeting Ushijima had faded slightly into silent discomfort as they checked their respective sides of the corridor - Yamaguchi on the left, Ushijima on the right.

They walked past a couple more classrooms before Yamaguchi saw something glinting in one of them.

“Ah! Ushijima, look!” Yamaguchi tugged on Ushijima’s sleeve suddenly, pointing towards a very obvious piece of paper on the topmost shelf of a cupboard with the word ‘CLUE’ scrawled in black marker on it. Yamaguchi swung open the door and snaked his way through the maze of tables before staring upwards at the shelf.

Uh oh.

From afar, the clue looked much easier to grab, especially with his height. But apparently, he must have severely underestimated the height of the shelf. Not only was the shelf too high, but the clue was also hidden all the way at the back. There was no way Yamaguchi could reach it.

Despite that, Yamaguchi still stood on his tip-toes in an effort to reach it, stretching his arm as far it could go but to no avail.

“Allow me,” a gruff voice behind Yamaguchi spoke.

As soon as Yamaguchi’s heels touched the ground, he felt something hard and warm press against his back.

Yamaguchi’s eyes widened and he gripped the sides of the cupboard to stabilise himself as Ushijima leaned over him to reach for the clue instead. Ushijima’s hand held onto one of the lower shelves right beside Yamaguchi’s head and Yamaguchi inhaled sharply.

Ushijima’s chest was rock-solid, probably from all his volleyball training sessions. With how much he seemed to train, there was no way he didn’t have a strong core. The proximity of Ushijima’s body made it harder for Yamaguchi to breathe so he settled on holding his breath, cheeks burning hot as he was pinned to the cupboard. 

It was almost like a shoujo manga moment. The handsome male protagonist cages the female protagonist against the wall and declares his dominance over her with a cheesy confession. Yamaguchi was no female protagonist but he had long since come to terms with his sexuality and the very fact that he swung both ways made Ushijima an extremely possible candidate for Yamaguchi’s next infatuation.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he held a hand over his thudding heart and tried to breathe. Ushijima was still shifting behind him, hard chest pressing lightly into Yamaguchi’s shoulder blades and hot breath fanning across the back of Yamaguchi’s neck. The moment seemed to stretch for hours. Was he supposed to feel this nervous? He was half sure that this should have felt more uncomfortable than, well, _hot_.

But before Yamaguchi’s imagination could spiral any further, the heat behind him was gone and Ushijima had already stepped back and read out the clue.

“The final destination has a wooden floor,” Ushijima rumbled, frowning at the piece of paper. “It could be the music room down the next corridor.”

Upon not hearing an answer from Yamaguchi, Ushijima glanced up only to find him flustered and red-faced, fidgeting slightly and eyes trained on the ground in front of him. Ushijima started to wonder why he looked so ruffled when he noticed rather belatedly that he probably shouldn’t have leaned over Yamaguchi in order to grab the clue.

“Ah, sorry for that, Yamaguchi.”

“It’s fine, really! You, uh, said down the corridor right? Let’s go!” Yamaguchi looked up and smiled brightly, freckled cheeks still tinted red as he slid past Ushijima and out of the classroom. After watching Yamaguchi zip out of the room, Ushijima glanced back at the cupboard he had trapped Yamaguchi against.

He didn’t bother mentioning that he _also_ noticed how nicely Yamaguchi could fit in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! My apologies but the next chapter will be slightly longer so it'll take a bit longer before the next upload. Hopefully, I'll be able to post it before the 16th if my writing goes well :)


	3. The Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamaguchi faces his fears.
> 
> Luckily, he's not alone.

Of all the corridors the music room could be down across, it just had to be the longest and the darkest, didn’t it?

Yamaguchi cursed as he felt along the walls with his hand and stumbled in the dark. The corridor was shrouded in darkness, the only light source being that of the light swinging eerily from the ceiling at the end. His hands occasionally brushed against a doorknob or window but he couldn’t bring himself to look inside. Too many shadows.

Yamaguchi knew that his fear of the dark was completely irrational but since a traumatic experience watching back-to-back horror films with Tsukki and Akiteru when he was seven, he was firmly convinced that anything could simply melt out of the shadows and drag him back into the darkness with their spindly fingers and needle-sharp teeth and eyeless sockets that dripped crimson and-

Yamaguchi squeezed his eyes shut and banished the images from his mind. Not now.

Yamaguchi was vaguely aware that his knees were buckling so he stopped to grip onto one of the doorknobs tightly. He could barely even walk properly, stopping every few seconds to listen for noises or jerking every time he heard some sort of noise. Swallowing down the anxiety bubbling up in his throat, he focussed his attention on the light at the end.

He could do this. Just get to the end. Prove to Ushijima that you’re not a weirdo.

The only thing driving Yamaguchi to continue trekking forward at this point was the fact that he didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Ushijima.

Ushijima was probably the kind of person who wasn’t afraid of anything, let alone some dark corridor. The thought alone made shame burn in his chest. He wasn’t a child, yet he was still afraid of something as childish as the dark. His eyes stung. He couldn’t imagine how lowly Ushijima must think of him now.

Taking in a deep breath, he willed himself to detach his hand from the doorknob he had been stuck to for the past few minutes and tried to look ahead. It was the least he could do to prove himself. He intertwined his fingers and pressed them against his throbbing chest in fervent prayer, placing one foot in front of the other in an attempt to walk normally instead of shuffling along like the floor would be pulled from his feet.

He could do this. He could do this. It wasn’t as if anything was _actually there_ , right? There was definitely nothing there. Absolutely nothing to worry about-

“Yamaguchi?”

Yamaguchi screamed.

\-----

Ushijima padded slowly behind Yamaguchi who stuck close to the wall and shuffled down the dark corridor.

After getting the clue, Yamaguchi had made a beeline to the next corridor without looking back. Ushijima reasoned that it was simply due to his embarrassment of the earlier incident. After all, they probably had gotten a bit too close for comfort when they had just met barely twenty minutes ago.

He only hoped that Yamaguchi wasn’t too bothered by it.

Ushijima was very aware that he possessed a certain degree of rigid bluntness in both his actions and speech. While it didn’t really hinder his everyday life, it made socialising a little more difficult for him. More often than not, his bluntness has caused him to unintentionally hurt or unsettle others, driving them away.

Seeing people leave had hurt him more than he would like to admit, so the very possibility that he could have made Yamaguchi uncomfortable too made guilt twist in his gut.

Ushijima stopped abruptly when Yamaguchi did and watched Yamaguchi clutch onto a doorknob.

Yamaguchi was unique. Ushijima could at least tell from the way he had sputtered out his questionable opinion on Ushijima’s face. No one had ever called his stoic, fierce-looking face ‘pretty’ before. He wasn’t even sure that anyone even _considered_ that about his looks. Apart from that, from the moment they met, Yamaguchi had given off the impression that he was constantly anxious. He had kept looking over at Ushijima, kept talking to fill the silence between them and fidgeted incessantly. 

But somehow, Ushijima found all of his quirks somewhat endearing.

He found the way Yamaguchi tugged on his sport jacket sleeve to get his attention nothing short of charming and the way he peered into the classrooms carefully like a child gave off a kind of innocence that Ushijima wished he could protect. He even found the way Yamaguchi inched down this corridor… cute.

While Ushijima was deep in thought, Yamaguchi had finally removed his hands from the doorknob and was creeping forward. Ushijima prepared to start walking again when he noticed the way Yamaguchi was slowly sinking towards the ground as if his legs were jelly. 

The first thing that came to mind was pure confusion.

Then, he was suddenly aware of the tension and the slight shake in Yamaguchi’s shoulders that he had mistaken as discomfort from earlier. He thought that Yamaguchi’s careful steps were to scan the ground for clues, but now it seemed to be something else entirely.

Was Yamaguchi… afraid of the dark?

Ushijima wanted to punch himself for not realising earlier.

For a split second, Ushijima was relieved that at least Yamaguchi didn’t seem to be uneasy about the incident when it hit him that Yamaguchi looked on the verge of passing out. He needed to do something.

“Yamaguchi?” He tried calling out.

Wrong move.

Ushijima was not prepared for the high-pitched scream that ripped itself from Yamaguchi’s throat. He stilled and Yamaguchi clasped two hands over his mouth.

There was a beat of silence.

“Yamaguchi, are you alright?” Ushijima walked briskly towards Yamaguchi, hands in a surrendering position. He didn’t want to risk Yamaguchi scaring again.

“Ah, sorry Ushijima! I was just startled, that’s all, I’m fine,” Yamaguchi squeaked, shaking his hands in front of his face. Yamaguchi still looked a bit disorientated by the scare and Ushijima frowned. How could he help comfort him? 

Yamaguchi had shifted to grip at his forearm in what Ushijima recognised as a sort of self-soothing behaviour. He watched Yamaguchi’s knuckles flex and loosen around his wrist. 

Then, he had an idea.

“Yamaguchi, would you like to hold onto my arm?”

Yamaguchi stared blankly at him. Ushijima could pinpoint the exact moment Yamaguchi had registered his words when Yamaguchi’s eyes widened comically and his mouth opened and closed repeatedly. Ushijima was sure that if it wasn’t so dark, he would be able to see Yamaguchi’s cheeks slowly redden.

“I- Uh- You don’t have to! I’m doing fine by myself here,” Yamaguchi rubbed at his arm more harshly. Ushijima simply extended his own arm.

“I do not mind.”

“I’m really able to walk on my own! Plus, we’re almost halfway there and-”

“It is perfectly okay to be afraid of the dark, Yamaguchi. I will not judge.”

Yamaguchi went silent.

Ushijima said nothing more, only nudging his arm towards Yamaguchi, waiting for Yamaguchi’s response. He seemed to chew over the words slightly, hand continuing its pattern of squeezing and relaxing. The silence stretched around them and Ushijima was prepared to retract his arm.

But he had to hide a small smile when he finally felt warm fingers curl shyly around his wrist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Hope you enjoyed reading :)  
> This chapter was originally a lot longer but since I wanted to explore Yama's fears and Ushijima's impression of Yama fully, I decided to split it so that I could write about their developing feelings towards each other more in the next chapter :D
> 
> Also I really liked writing in a bit of angst hehe. It's my guilty pleasure ;)


	4. Bonding and Best Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamaguchi and Ushijima meet a few familiar faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for the late update yikes. This chapter is a lot longer than the others because I couldn't really decide if I should split it. Do comment below if you think it would be better to split this into two chapters for easier reading :) Enjoy!

It turned out that holding onto Ushijima made things a lot less scary.

Yamaguchi supposed it was the feeling of being grounded. All the tension in his body had bled out of his body through the point of contact. Yamaguchi wasn’t really holding on to him as much as hooking his fingers around his wrist but the security of Ushijima guiding him gave him an immense amount of comfort that he couldn’t comprehend. 

Ushijima’s arm was as packed with muscle as the rest of him yet his skin was surprisingly soft, unlike the coarseness that he had expected. Yamaguchi wondered absently if he was naturally gifted with good skin or if he just slathered on a thick layer of moisturiser every day after his shower.

“So Yamaguchi, what is your favourite food?”

Yamaguchi felt a smile grow on his face. While he was grateful enough that Ushijima had even offered his arm, he was pleasantly surprised when Ushijima decided to go a bit further to initiate a conversation.

“I like french fries, specifically floppy ones.”

With every new random question Ushijima asked, Yamaguchi could feel himself relaxing a bit more. Having a conversation with Ushijima was really more fun than he expected. Yamaguchi liked Ushijima’s bluntness. The way he spoke his mind clearly was both funny and fresh. Yamaguchi had been so used to Tsukki’s roundabout way of talking that the moments when he was actually able to hear his honest opinions without sarcasm were far and few between.

“Why floppy? Would the fry not be soaked in oil?”

“Ah but you see, the oil is what makes it taste better.”

Ushijima made a disgusted expression that made Yamaguchi erupt into laughter. His giggles bounced through the space, effectively chasing away any remnants of fear Yamaguchi had. In an instant, the mood became much lighter with Yamaguchi rambling about the goodness of his beloved floppy fries and Ushijima not understanding how anything soggy and soaked with oil could taste good.

“Maybe I should just drag you to get floppy fries one day. Then you’ll be enlightened.”

“Is this your idea of a date proposal, Yamaguchi?”

As Yamaguchi laughed at Ushijima’s awkward attempt at humour, he was hit by the realisation that he wouldn’t really mind going out on a date with Ushijima.

The issue wasn’t as if Yamaguchi hadn’t imagined dating a man. Of course he had. He had imagined himself in all sorts of scenarios like going to a theme park to ride roller coasters or watching a romantic movie and kissing in the dark. And the issue wasn’t as if he didn’t know his ideal type. He knew he wanted a strong, confident guy who was able to take care of him and make up for his own lack of confidence. A guy who was open and honest with him. A guy who somehow didn’t mind him for who he was, flaws and all.

The issue was just that he was suddenly realising that Ushijima happened to fit the criteria very well.

Yamaguchi tightened his hold on Ushijima’s forearm and Ushijima looked down curiously at the lull in the conversation. Yamaguchi only grinned back at him, hoping that his face didn’t give away what he was thinking.

Ushijima stared for a while before giving back a smile of his own, a little quirk of the lips that made Yamaguchi’s frail heart flutter.

Yamaguchi blamed it on his nerves and shoved the thoughts away.

Before they knew it, they were finally in the light and Yamaguchi had to let go of Ushijima's arm. His fingers were warm from the prolonged contact but he was sure his cheeks felt warmer.

“Thank you, Ushijima. It really helped.”

“You are welcome, Yamaguchi.”

Yamaguchi smiled sheepishly.

“Now what were you saying about Hayashi rice?”

Yamaguchi was relieved that Ushijima seemed comfortable with the conversation too as he went on about the nutritious information of the different components in Hayashi rice. Ushijima looked ahead as he spoke, hands moving occasionally to make a point about the importance of carbohydrates and proteins in an athlete’s diet.

His expression was much softer than it was on the court. His eyebrows still arched downwards over his eyes but his eyes were brighter. They were a nice olive colour, almost the shade of Yamaguchi’s. His gaze dropped to Ushijima’s hands which were gesturing how to saute the beef. They were calloused and big and Yamaguchi wondered dreamily what it would feel like to hold them.

Wait what?

Yamaguchi suppressed the flush that threatened to rise to his cheeks. The thoughts had settled in the front of his mind again. Was he seriously crushing on someone he only met today? There was no way it could happen so quickly right? 

Still, the intimacy of holding onto Ushijima’s arm lingered and made butterflies emerge in his stomach.

Yamaguchi decided to ignore it for now.

“Yamaguchi, look. A clue.”

They had reached the music room only to find it completely devoid of people. Not the final destination, then. Another piece of paper lay inside, right in the middle of the floor and the same ‘CLUE’ written on it. Yamaguchi bent to pick it up.

“The final destination has an iron gate. Anywhere in your school with that?”

“Ah it could be the field near the front gate but I’m sure it does not have a wooden floor. But perhaps-”

“Wait a second, can you hear that?”

Ushijima quieted and strained his ears. There was a muted but steady beat of ‘thud thud thud’ coming from the corridor that seemed to be getting faster and faster. Ushijima watched Yamaguchi’s face pale. It sounded like someone was running towards them. The noise was getting louder now, echoing throughout the room. 

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Yamaguchi gripped the sleeve of Ushijima’s jacket.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

It was close.

Ushijima prepared to grab Yamaguchi and run.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

“Miracle Boy Wakatoshiiiii!” A sudden loud voice chimed in from the front door.

Turning around, they were met with a flash of red before Tendou threw himself onto Ushijima. Ushijima’s eyes widened in surprise and he gripped onto Tendou’s legs before he fell. Yamaguchi looked equally surprised.

“What a coincidence, Wakatoshi!” Tendou smiled, draping his arms around Ushijima. He was being cradled like a baby, legs wrapped around Ushijima. Yamaguchi had to stifle a giggle at the sight.

“Ugh, Tendou  _ please  _ stop running away like that!” Another voice followed.

Tsukishima ducked to enter the room, panting and face twisted in annoyance. Yamaguchi’s face brightened considerably.

“Tsukki!”

Ushijima’s head jerked sharply towards Tsukishima, nearly dropping Tendou. Tsukki?

He watched as Yamaguchi ran over to talk to the taller player with blonde hair. He had black-framed glasses and an annoyed expression on his face but Ushijima couldn’t care less what he looked like.

The thing that irked him was the way he talked to Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi’s eyes literally shone while filling in this ‘Tsukki’ with the events of the night, mouth split into a smile that Ushijima wished was pointed at himself. Yet the other seemed bored and disinterested, only interjecting to complain about Tendou. Ushijima frowned.

Speaking of Tendou, he was still latching onto him, swivelling his head to watch Ushijima watch Yamaguchi. Tendou grinned.

“Ah, him? That’s Tsukishima Kei. He’s your average sarcastic asshole. He’s the absolute worst because he can actually block.” Tendou leapt off of Ushijima and propped an elbow on his shoulder. “But he also seems to be your cinnamon roll’s best friend. Who’s the cutie?”

“His name is Yamaguchi Tadashi, Karasuno’s number 12.”

“Ah wait, I remember him! The freckles kid with the float serve. What’s so special about him? I mean it’s not like his volleyball skills are  _ that _ good. He’s not even a starter.”

Ushijima looked crossly at Tendou then caught himself. It was true that if Yamaguchi never left an impression on him on the court, then it meant Yamaguchi’s playing wasn’t anything special. Ushijima had never paid much attention to anyone outside of the court without potential in volleyball. In fact, he realised that he never really paid attention to people for reasons other than volleyball.

So what was so special about him?

“Well, he’s nice,” Ushijima said before turning his attention back to the other pair. Yamaguchi was laughing at something Tsukishima said and it made something ugly weigh in Ushijima’s heart. When he looked back at Tendou, the other had a wide grin on his face. He winked at Ushijima.

“Ah, I see.”

Ushijima squinted at Tendou suspiciously. What was he up to?

“Ya-hoo! Tsukki and Freckles! Over here!” Tendou waved them over. Tsukishima had an annoyed look on his face and Yamaguchi just looked confused. Ushijima channelled his most intimidating stare at Tsukishima.

“So Wakatoshi and I were discussing some stuff and we decided to share our clues! Isn’t that nice, Yamaguchi?” Tendou smiled widely at Yamaguchi who nodded hesitantly. Tendou was leaning heavily into Yamaguchi’s personal space and it was obvious he was uncomfortable. Yamaguchi looked to Ushijima for reassurance but he was busy drilling a cold glare into Tsukishima who stiffened under the weight of Ushijima’s gaze.

“Ah! Our first clue was ‘The final destination has a wooden floor’ and the clue we found here was ‘The final destination has an iron gate’,” Yamaguchi waved the clue they had found, glancing between Ushijima and Tsukishima worriedly.

“Huh- oh we only found one since  _ somebody _ kept running off to who-knows-where. It’s ‘The final destination has many facilities’,” Tsukishima added, trying to ignore Ushijima’s gaze and producing a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “We actually had a bit of an idea where the destination may be but we got sidetracked when Tendou saw you and ran after you.”

Tsukishima looked bitterly at Tendou and Ushijima shook his head. Classic Tendou. However, his gaze still settled back on Tsukishima. How could someone so sarcastic be  _ best _ friends with Yamaguchi? Ushijima just couldn’t understand. It seemed very one-sided to him.

“I bet you were the one who thought of the place though!” Yamaguchi nudged Tsukishima.

“ _Shut up,_ Yamaguchi.”

“Sorry, Tsukki!”

It was then that Ushijima  _ growled _ .

The entire room went silent.

“That was rather rude,” He mumbled offhandedly, slightly embarrassed that he had lost his cool. Tsukishima and Tendou looked surprised but Yamaguchi simply laughed lightly as if he encountered it every day.

“Don’t worry, Ushijima! It’s just a thing Tsukki and I have between us. Like a catchphrase, you know? He doesn’t really mean it.” Yamaguchi explained. Ushijima blinked then slowly nodded.

“I understand now. Pardon me for my rudeness,” Ushijima apologised, looking Tsukishima dead in the eye. If Yamaguchi managed to defend Tsukishima so lightheartedly, there must be some sort of trust between them. He would excuse Tsukishima’s behaviour.

For now.

Tsukishima looked away quickly, muttering something about irony. Meanwhile, Tendou looked like he had short-circuited, glancing between Yamaguchi and Ushijima with an incredulous look on his face. Ushijima quirked an eyebrow and Tendou made all sorts of gestures, pointing at him, flailing his arms at Tsukishima and pointing back at Yamaguchi but Ushijima was unable to decipher the message and settled for a lazy shrug.

“Actually, I might also have an idea of where the final destination may be,” Yamaguchi piped up, trying to clear the tension in the air. He fiddled with the paper in his hands and looked around the room.

Tendou gave up trying to signal to Ushijima and slinked towards Yamaguchi instead.

“So Freckles is as smart as Tsukki! Why don't we all go together? It’ll be more fun that way,” Tendou winked again but this time at Yamaguchi. Tsukishima grunted in approval.

Yamaguchi was about to open his mouth to reply when he felt a weight settle on his shoulder.

“Actually, are you not our rivals? We will have to battle one another in the final game, will we not?”

Ushijima had placed his hand onto Yamaguchi’s shoulder but Tendou noted that there was nothing casual about the action. He stood tall behind Yamaguchi, radiating the same intimidating aura he did on the court. The hand on Yamaguchi’s shoulder was almost possessive, like a claim.

Ushijima had a fierce look in his eye that told them that he prefered to be alone. 

With Yamaguchi.

Tsukishima and Tendou understood instantly.

“Actually, yeah! We may have traded clues as allies but we will fight one another on the battlefield! Au revoir! Until we meet again, Freckles!” Tendou blurted out dramatically, draping himself over Tsukishima before wiggling his eyebrows at the two of them.

“Good luck, Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima mumbled before dragging Tendou out by the collar.

Yamaguchi glanced upwards at Ushijima, frowning in confusion.

Ushijima merely shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the idea of possessive Ushijima.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> It would also be a great help if you could comment if splitting this into chapters would be better or if I should keep this chapter at its length! Thank you!


	5. Mutual Confirmations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamaguchi falls, experiences disappointment and learns a little bit about Ushijima.

“I think the final destination is at the gym.”

The pair had started walking from the music room shortly after Tsukishima and Tendou fled. This time, they were walking down a more brightly-lit corridor and discussing the possible places the final destination could be at.

“I mean, the gym matches all three of the clues we have and, logically speaking, it’s the best place to hold the final game because of the amount of space,” Yamaguchi reasoned. Ushijima nodded in agreement.

“That does make the most sense. Come, I know the fastest way there.”

Ushijima turned them down another corridor and Yamaguchi sighed in relief. The treasure hunt was almost over, meaning that he could go back to the dorms and sleep. As if to support his own point, Yamaguchi let out a tiny yawn and he rubbed at his watery eyes. He was never one for staying up late since his mother usually made sure he was in bed by 10pm.

It was true that Yamaguchi was tired, but at the same time, he didn’t want the night to end. He glanced furtively at Ushijima who was stifling a yawn of his own. Partnering up with Ushijima was more fun than he had thought, considering his first impression of him, and being with Ushijima calmed him in a way he never knew he could feel. The silence between them now was comfortable instead of awkward and Yamaguchi didn’t feel the need to ramble to fill it anymore. Yamaguchi smiled. He wondered if Ushijima would be opposed to spending time with him like this outside of the training camp.

Maybe he could actually take Ushijima out on that french fry date.

Date?

Yamaguchi tripped in alarm and ended up face first on the floor. His imagination seemed to be full of surprises when it came to Ushijima.

“Yamaguchi! Are you alright?”

Ushijima was immediately by his side, checking for injuries. Yamaguchi groaned and waved him off. Why was he always making a fool out of himself in front of Ushijima?

“Yeah I’m fine. Must’ve tripped on a rock or something,” Yamaguchi mumbled. Ushijima exhaled in amusement and held an upturned hand towards Yamaguchi to help him up. Yamaguchi took it gratefully and stumbled to his feet, brushing off his shorts.

“I swear I’m usually not that clumsy!”

“Of course, Yamaguchi.”

Yamaguchi looked up with a pout and to Yamaguchi’s amazement, Ushijima cocked his head to one side in question like a puppy to match. Yamaguchi’s face slackened. Ushijima was being absolutely adorable. Almost immediately, his heart rate picked up and Yamaguchi once again found himself completely enamoured by Ushijima.

He wasn’t blind. He knew Ushijima was good looking but looking at him close up was a whole new story. The gentle slope of Ushijima’s nose, the sharpness of his jawline, the small upward quirk of his lips that seemed as equally soft as his skin. Yamaguchi was looking at all of him.

And for once, Ushijima was looking right back.

Yamaguchi could hear his heart beating heavily in his chest and he felt the weight of every breath. Ushijima’s strong and confident gaze locked with Yamaguchi’s meticulous one and neither made a move to sever the eye contact. The air was thick with tension - the good kind - and the tranquility of the night swallowed every other sound, leaving a silence that intensified the drumming of Yamaguchi’s heart. Yamaguchi found that he didn’t want this to end either.

So he’d really fallen for him, huh.

“Ah U-Ushijima!” Yamaguchi stuttered at the revelation, shattering the vulnerability of the scene. “I- uh- I wonder if Tsukki guessed it was the gym too.” He coughed awkwardly and grinned up at Ushijima who seemed to have trouble comprehending the sudden shift in mood. 

Yamaguchi squashed down the disappointment he felt at the abrupt end of the moment. Ushijima couldn’t know about his feelings. He didn’t want to get his hopes up too fast. After all, he wasn’t even sure Ushijima felt the same way.

But Ushijima holding his gaze must have meant something, right?

Ushijima blinked rapidly and righted himself quickly as if their staring competition had never happened at all. Yamaguchi sighed in relief before he saw Ushijima stiffen abruptly. He felt his heart stop in his chest when Ushijima turned to frown down at him with a burning intensity in his eyes.

“Yamaguchi…”

Yamaguchi held his breath. What was he going to say? Was he going to mention the moment? Would he acknowledge the tension? Was he going to confess his undying love and adoration for-

“Are you secretly dating Tsukishima?”

Yamaguchi remained quiet.

A cricket chirped in the distance.

He looked up at Ushijima with the flattest expression he could muster.

“Seriously?”

Ushijima crossed his arms and huffed. At least he had the audacity to look somewhat sheepish about the question. Yamaguchi had no idea what prompted him to imagine that Ushijima would say any of what he thought he would. With Ushijima’s bluntness came his slight obliviousness to feelings, specifically others’, and while Yamaguchi understood how it could be a problem that Ushijima was struggling with and that he should be more understanding, it didn’t make the situation any less frustrating for Yamaguchi.

“Tsukki’s my childhood best friend. I could never imagine dating him! It’s like you and Tendou dating! Can you imagine?” Yamaguchi said, exasperated. But there must have been something in his tone that made him sound pissed because Ushijima was immediately backing off.

“Sorry.”

Yamaguchi was caught off guard by Ushijima's sudden passiveness. It didn’t seem like something Ushijima would do. He was supposed to be confident and stand by his view, not grimacing and backing down. It was almost as if Ushijima was afraid he had hurt him. 

But looking at Ushijima’s expression made it clear that it was exactly the case.

His brows were furrowed and he was looking at the ground with the corner of his eyes, hands squeezing his biceps. The very picture of guilt.

Yamaguchi found himself smiling again. How much sweeter could Ushijima get?

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to come across as angry! And don’t worry, you didn’t hurt me at all. It’s just that this isn’t the first time someone’s asked about us. Tsukki and I are really just close friends. Nothing more!

“I’m still single as a pringle,” Yamaguchi joked, hoping to get a reaction from Ushijima. Easy enough, Ushijima reverted back to his stoic self though there seemed to be a hint of relief in the way he slouched forward slightly.

He looked Yamaguchi squarely in the eye with a bold look that Yamaguchi was more than glad to welcome back.

“Good.”

Yamaguchi pretended his face wasn’t burning red and continued walking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I'm really sorry for the late update! Hopefully I'll manage to get the next chapter out in the next few days :( I know this chapter kinda seems like a filler but I wanted to deepen their understanding of each other both ways before reaching the climax. Hope I didn't disappoint!


	6. Countdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ushijima thinks he's sly.

“Tsukki and I actually go way back. We’ve been friends since primary school. I get why some people might think we’re dating since I tend to get overexcited when I talk to him plus I’m usually the only one Tsukki talks to but we’re just really close friends,” Yamaguchi gave Ushijima a lopsided grin.

Ushijima hummed in acknowledgement. They were continuing their journey to the gym after Yamaguchi’s brief fall with Ushijima lagging behind a little in the case that Yamaguchi decided to trip again.

“Plus people tend to think that it’s a one-sided thing too but Tsukki cares in his own little ways. You know we first met when he saved me from a bunch of bullies.”

Ushijima felt slightly bad for assuming so as well, but the guilt was cut short when a word caught his attention.

“Bullies?”

“Oh kids used to bully me a lot because of my freckles. It’s not that of a big deal now.”

Ushijima felt his heart ache. He had heard stories from Tendou about being bullied and the hurt that they caused so hearing that Yamaguchi had suffered the same ill-treatment made indignance bubble within him. Fortunately, Yamaguchi had Tsukishima to protect him and the thought alone gave Ushijima a degree of respect for Tsukishima.

Ushijima looked down at Yamaguchi. He didn’t seem too uncomfortable talking about his past, which Ushijima was relieved at, but he did want to say something to affirm Yamaguchi. After all, no one should be ashamed of any part of their body, especially with one as beautiful as Yamaguchi’s.

“Well _I_ think your freckles are pretty.”

Yamaguchi stared up at him with widened eyes, mouth gaping. His eyes sparkled like they had when he talked to Tsukishima, and Ushijima was hit with the full force of its adoration. It was different from the eye contact that they had earlier. While that was drawn-out and tense like a volley between two teams, this was like getting a spike to the chest, so sudden and powerful that it made Ushijima stumble. Yamaguchi quickly looked away and squashed his cheeks with his hands.

“Thank you,” He mumbled. Ushijima couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity and was immediately reminded of their first encounter. If anyone was to be the pretty one, it would definitely have to be Yamaguchi.

Innocent doe eyes, soft freckled cheeks, blinding smiles, how could one not think he was pretty?

“Freckles! Wakatoshi! So glad you could finally join us!”

As Ushijima and Yamaguchi turned into the courtyard leading to the gym, they noticed a figure waving towards them from afar. The lights in the gym were switched on and the movement inside suggested that many pairs had already figured out the final destination early on. Tendou was running towards them despite them already walking in the direction of the gym. Tsukishima could be seen easily, towering over everyone else as he leaned against a pillar in front of the gym. From his sulking body language, it was obvious he was annoyed at Tendou again.

Once again, Tendou leaped into Ushijima’s arms but was caught bridal style this time. Tendou tilted his head back dramatically, such that his face appeared upside down, and wiggled his eyebrows at Yamaguchi.

“Did it take you too long to figure it out, Freckles? Most of the pairs are here already!”

“Hello Tendou. We actually guessed it was the gym at the music room. Ushijima said he knew the fastest way here,” Yamaguchi rubbed his own chin in thought. “Perhaps we walked too slow?”

Tendou gave Ushijima a knowing look.

“But there’s a shortcut through the building that leads straight to the gym. It takes 5 minutes tops but you guys took a good 20 minutes!” Tendou acted shocked. “Bad Wakatoshi! You made poor Freckles walk all this way!”

Ushijima shook his head at Tendou’s antics and glanced apologetically at Yamaguchi. Ushijima hoped Yamaguchi wasn’t too uneasy with Tendou around. He knew his friend tended to have a bit of an intense personality at times. Yamaguchi only smiled back, not one bit fazed. After all, no chaos could compare to when Kageyama and Hinata argued during practice. Tendou decided in that moment to launch himself off of Ushijima’s chest and land on his feet. He pointed at them both.

“Oh I almost forgot! From now on until the battle ends, we’re enemies, got it? See you in there!” Tendou wiggled his fingers at Yamaguchi before leaning towards Ushijima and whispering in a tone rather loud for something not intended to be heard. “It’s okay, I won’t third wheel your date! Good luck, Wakatoshi!”

Yamaguchi and Ushijima stood in silence as Tendou ran back towards the gym, shouting and waving at Tsukishima.

“So the fastest way there, huh?” 

“I…may have miscalculated the time.”

“If you wanted to spend more time with me you could have just asked,” Yamaguchi teased, nudging Ushijima a little. Ushijima pursed his lips. Was Yamaguchi _flirting_ with him?

Not one to ignore a challenge, Ushijima nudged Yamaguchi back.

“I’ll take note next time.”

Holding on to Yamaguchi’s sleeve this time, he didn’t leave time for Yamaguchi’s reaction before pulling him towards the gym.

\-----

“Welcome back, everyone! I hope everyone had fun finding the clues and bonding with your partner. Now, we’ll start the final game!” Takeda-sensei announced, earning loud cheers and a few half-hearted whoops.

“As a pair, you will tie your wrists together with these cut strips of garbage bags and your job is to eliminate the other pairs by breaking their ties and be the last pair standing! The first pair that came in - Hinata and Goshiki - get to tie their strip onto one person’s wrist and operate independently. Now come and get your ties and get ready for the call!”

Excited chatter filled the gym as pairs both tied themselves together and discussed strategies.

“You should stand on the left and I should stand on the right so we can maximise the use of our dominant hands,” Yamaguchi suggested, positioning Ushijima and himself. Ushijima gave an experimental spike to the air to demonstrate how he could break the ties, clenching his fist and getting a good feel of how he could grab them too. Yamaguchi giggled at Ushijima's gestures and Ushijima couldn’t help but feel pride flare in his chest.

Yamaguchi wrapped the flimsy black strip around their wrists twice and finished it off with a triple knot, ensuring that it fit comfortably yet firmly around their wrists. Yamaguchi let their hands go after he was finished. 

The backs of their hands were touching and Ushijima felt his skin burn delightfully at the contact. They were hanging limply between the two of them, knuckles brushing together occasionally when either of them fidgeted too much. The small slips of extra contact were enticing and Ushijima had to clench his hand into a fist to prevent himself from deliberately reaching out to touch Yamaguchi’s hand.

Ushijima looked at their bound hands. Compared to his, Yamaguchi’s hand was small but slender, supple fingers curling inwards slightly like a seasoned pianist ready to play. His skin tone was a few shades paler than his and his skin itself felt delicate. His nails were growing out a bit but were a soft peach pink, the contrast with his skin making them look like petals. 

Ushijima knew he was getting a bit too sappy but he decided to indulge himself. After all, he only had this short battle to be in such close proximity with Yamaguchi. So he allowed himself one more thought.

Would Yamaguchi’s hands fit in mine?

Ushijima closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

Screw self-control.

Throwing all caution to the wind, he inched his hand close to Yamaguchi, gingerly slotting the palm of his hand against Yamaguchi’s and enfolding it carefully. He felt his pulse throb wildly through the contact. There was nothing but warmth buzzing through his fingers, encapsulating the other’s hand in his.

It was perfect.

His hand wrapped around the entirety of Yamaguchi’s palm, his fingers almost touching his thumb at the back of Yamaguchi’s hand. He could feel the curious twitch of Yamaguchi’s fingers around him, pale fingers tapping at the back of his palm in question.

“It would be easier to keep the tie intact like this,” Ushijima mentioned curtly, the brazen move giving him a surge of confidence akin to what he would usually feel only when delivering a successful spike.

Yamaguchi squeezed Ushijima’s hand and clasped his fingers around his tightly in reciprocation. Ushijima felt his heart stutter.

“Of course, Ushijima.”

“LET THE FINAL RACE...BEGIN!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I managed to get this chapter out early because I'm so excited to write the action part! Hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it :)


	7. A Powerful Pair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle begins.
> 
> (And Tendou's thoughts)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! Hope you'll enjoy :)

“Ushijima, left!”

With a powerful swipe, Ushijima eliminated Sugawara and Semi’s pair within seconds of the game starting, stunning everyone into silence.

“A-And the first pair is out!” Takeda-sensei commentated, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose in disbelief. The other pairs started shuffling away subtly.

“Ushijima nice kill!” Yamaguchi grins and gives him a thumbs up. To everyone’s surprise, Ushijima rubbed the back of his neck in a rare show of meekness, leaving everyone gaping in incredulity.

Ever the gentleman, Ushijima apologised to both Sugawara and Semi individually.

“No, no it’s perfectly fine! You were supposed to eliminate the other pairs, after all. But you two are such a power couple! That was impressive,” Sugawara commended and both Ushijima and Yamaguchi bowed in unison. It was almost instinctive to bow to someone so motherly.

As Ushijima straightened himself, he saw Semi glancing at their hands and he briefly tightened his hold on Yamaguchi in surprise. Semi glanced up at him and nodded to himself before ushering Sugawara off to the side of the court, giving Ushijima a scathing look and mouthing at him silently.

_ Take care of him. _

Ushijima glanced sideways at Yamaguchi who was on high alert, head swivelling around to scan possible dangers, and nodded.

He fully intended to.

As soon as Ushijima got his head back into the game, they were unstoppable. While Ushijima was naturally competitive, the thing that really got him going was the powerful combination of Yamaguchi’s quick reflexes and Ushijima’s brute strength. They managed to tackle and break two more teams. Of course, there were a few close shaves but Yamaguchi managed to spin them around and dodge them quickly. They were the perfect balance of offence and defence.

Soon enough, the remaining four teams decided that they had to put a stop to their streak and started ganging up on them, forming a tight circle around them.

“We have to stick closer together, Yamaguchi,” Ushijima whispered lowly in Yamaguchi’s ear, sending shivers up his spine. Yamaguchi nodded eagerly, praying his face didn’t give away that he might combust if he stood any closer to Ushijima.

Since Ushijima had grabbed his hand, Yamaguchi could not stop thinking about the pressure of Ushijima’s hand around his. He was sure his hands were sweaty from both the exertion of running around and the nervousness of touching Ushijima for an extended period of time, but Ushijima’s hand remained firmly grasped around his. And to think that Ushijima had initiated this. The thought alone made him giddy with happiness.

But now was not the time to think about that. He faced the four pairs circling them. They all seemed both determined and strong. There was the eager Hinata and Goshiki, the focussed Kageyama and Shibaru, the good-mannered Ennoshita and Reon and last but not least, Tendou and Tsukki who were somehow still in the game despite the clear dread on Tsukki’s face. With all the other opponents cornering him, he wasn’t quite sure that they were going to make it. Yamaguchi swallowed and squeezed Ushijima’s hand for comfort.

Ushijima tapped a thumb on the back of Yamaguchi’s hand.

“We can do it.”

The encouragement was curt and didn’t leave any room for argument. A promise. Yamaguchi felt a weight lift off his shoulders and he grinned. It was so Ushijima to give such an encouragement. Schooling his face into a determined expression, Yamaguchi assumed a defensive stance and waited.

Maybe they could do this.

With a combined roar, the five teams charged.

Yamaguchi spun and dodged a swipe at their wrists, bending his arm uncomfortably behind his back to defend it. It was all just a flurry of movement. Hands were grabbing left and right, pairs were tangled with one another and shouts rang across the entire gym. 

Both Yamaguchi and Ushijima were having a hard time defending their bound wrists. Hands scraped at the tie and lunged at them and when they barely managed to thrust their tie out of harm’s way, they were always met with another pair of snatching hands. Yamaguchi didn’t know how much longer he could hold out.

“Ushijima!” Yamaguchi cried. “Behind you!”

While Ushijima was swatting away someone in front of them, a hand behind them shot out quickly. The person grinned, eyes glinting in glee as Ushijima whipped around a second too late.

“Aha!” A voice called out, followed by a loud ripping sound. The chaos stopped and everyone stared wide-eyed as Tendou waved a tie wildly above his head. Ushijima gritted his teeth. Was it all over for them?

“I got the tie, haha! Sucks to be you, Waka- Eh?”

Tendou looked in front of him to find a pissed-off pair of setters staring at him.

“Ah… my bad.”

While Kageyama and Shibaru growled at Tendou, Yamaguchi and Ushijima had taken the opportunity to slink away and catch their breaths. That was a close one. For once, Ushijima was glad of Tendou’s dramatism.

However, their relief was short-lived as the remaining pairs quickly turned in their direction and started their joint attack once again. Yamaguchi hid their hands behind his back once more and steadied himself for another round of scuffling.

Takeda-sensei was commentating excitedly in the background but Ushijima could barely notice him over the feeling of adrenaline in his veins. His hand was twisted around Yamaguchi’s waist and he noted that his waist was pretty small for a boy. Ushijima wasn’t complaining though. The feeling of being able to envelop and protect Yamaguchi grounded him as he considered his next move.

Their best shot of getting out of this mess was to eliminate at least one of the pairs. Unlike their ‘play to win’ strategy earlier in the game, they were now in a position where it was nearly impossible to break through three pairs all at once. They had to change tactics. 

They were now playing to survive.

Their best bet was getting Tendou and Tsukishima out but they had to be on the lookout for Hinata. He was annoyingly loud and an absolute wildcard. It was anyone’s guess what he would do at any time. He didn’t really want to eliminate Reon’s pair but looking at the shining resolution in Yamaguchi’s eyes, he guessed he didn’t really have a choice.

The pairs descended upon them once more with Hinata leading the foray, screaming at the top of his lungs and swinging his arms wildly. Despite being the one of the pair with the tie on his wrist, he was awfully reckless and Goshiki had barely managed to wrestle him out of many close calls.

Ushijima absolutely hated Hinata’s guts. He was a nuisance in and out of court and Ushijima, for once, felt pity for Goshiki. Yamaguchi only seemed to laugh at the display, a breathy light sound that was music to Ushijima’s ears.

Hinata had immediately leapt at them but he was quickly bypassed as Ushijima pulled Yamaguchi to his side. Reon and Ennoshita tried to attack from both sides but they were quickly evaded as well. Ushijima and Yamaguchi were on heavy defence but Ushijima kept his eye on Tendou and Tsukishima’s tie. It was relatively loose on their wrist since Tsukishima didn’t look like he liked the idea of prolonged physical contact at all. Actually, he didn’t look like he liked anything about this.

He was jolted from his thoughts by an abrupt tug from Yamaguchi. The pairs around them were pressing in and they found themselves backing towards the wall of the gym. Ushijima had to act quickly or they would be eliminated in no time. Careful to keep the tie out of harm’s way, he pinpointed the exact timings Tendou would reach out to lunge at them, leaving his own tie unguarded by a reluctant Tsukishima.

He held his breath, waiting.

Tendou’s fingers shot out from the side and Ushijima struck.

He pitched his body forward and tore through the tie in a single swing of his arm. The sound of the tie snapping echoed throughout the gym.

Cheers erupted from the sidelines where the eliminated pairs were standing. Meanwhile, Tendou glared menacingly at them while Tsukishima dragged him away, mumbling a quick  _ finally _ . Ushijima handed the tie to Yamaguchi who raised it triumphantly over his head.

When Yamaguchi glanced at Ushijima in that same sparkle-eyed awe, he knew that the effort was all worth it.

“HIYAHH!”

Catching Yamaguchi off-guard, Hinata leapt onto him and split their tie cleanly in half.

Both Ushijima and Yamaguchi stared blankly at their hands then back at Hinata.

The court was silent.

“I GOT THEIR TIE!” Hinata shouted, jumping up and down excitedly. Goshiki cheered tiredly beside him.

The court exploded in applause.

“AND THE POWER COUPLE IS DOWN!” Takeda-sensei nearly fell off his chair in excitement.

Yamaguchi laughed the loss off and turned to Ushijima to lead him away when he saw the deep frown on his face. Ushijima hated losing. Especially when the win was pretty much guaranteed with him part of the pair. Though he looked calm on the outside, he was seething inwardly, looking at Hinata with a gaze so cold it could freeze ice. Even the very air he inhaled seemed frosty with sharp irritation.

Until he felt a warm thumb rubbing tenderly into his palm.

Somehow, Yamaguchi managed to pick up on his bad mood and was giving him a concerned look. Yamaguchi’s concern alone was enough to lift Ushijima’s spirits and he smiled softly in response.

“Huh? So Ushiwaka can smile! And why are you holding Yamaguchi’s hand?” Hinata bounced over to them and stared blatantly at their connected hands with curious eyes.

“E-Eh? I don’t know what you’re talking about! I- We- C’mon, let’s go Ushijima!” Yamaguchi spluttered, slipping his hand from Ushijima’s before planting them firmly against his back and shoving him off to the side.

When they were safely out of the way to the side, Ushijima took the time to properly appreciate Yamaguchi’s flushed face. He realised that Yamaguchi had been blushing a lot in the time they knew one another but he never got to get a good look at it.

“You seem different today, Wakatoshi” Tendou had sidled up to Ushijima. Tsukishima was squatting a little ways away and sipping from a water bottle. Yamaguchi was busy cheering Hinata on beside Ushijima but it was unlikely that he could hear their conversation. 

“I know. I have been rather immature.”

“The cutie’s rubbing off on you, isn’t he? Aw he’s making our little Wakatoshi so demure-” Tendou grinned as Ushijima turned to look at him. Tendou could tell Ushijima was embarrassed by the slight widening of his eyes. Tonight was the most emotion Ushijima had ever shown aside from his usual two moods - bored and content.

And to think it was all because of that first year?

Tendou huffed just as Goshiki managed to split Ennoshita and Reon’s tie and the gym filled with cheers. Yamaguchi turned to Ushijima and grinned widely. Almost immediately, Ushijima’s attention snapped back to Yamaguchi.

Tendou groaned.

If that was what crushing did to people, then he didn’t ever want to have one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! The next chapter will be the last one hehe. Hopefully I'll be able to write another story for this pairing after this. I love them too much!


	8. Au Revoir

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion.

Both teams gathered back and lined back up in their respective teams as Takeda-sensei announced the winners as Hinata and Goshiki.

Yamaguchi stood at the end of Karasuno’s line but he couldn’t help but bend forward slightly so he could peek at Ushijima who was, obviously, standing at the front of Shiratorizawa’s row. He was standing confidently as always and Yamaguchi had a slight nagging fear at the back of his mind that Ushijima would choose to ignore everything that had happened tonight.

“THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!” Daichi shouted and the two teams bowed to one another as if it was just another volleyball match.

The teams were beginning to disperse and Yamaguchi started to shuffle off in resignation when he felt someone drop a hand on his shoulder. He looked up.

“I’ll walk you back, Yamaguchi,” Ushijima stated. “The path is quite dark.”

Any doubt Yamaguchi had left was gone in an instant. Yamaguchi smiled and nodded. He didn’t want to mention that the whole of Karasuno was heading to the dorm anyway.

Speaking of Karasuno, they were throwing shocked glances their way and walking briskly away, allowing them to lag behind. Daichi had to wrestle all of Nishinoya, Tanaka and Hinata away from the pair. Everyone in Shiratorizawa, on the other hand, was staring at Ushijima and Yamaguchi as if they were seeing Hinata and Kageyama do their freak quick again. Goshiki looked like he was seconds away from exploding in confusion and Semi had to pull him along by the collar back to their dorm.

“Today was pretty fun, huh?” Yamaguchi exhaled and stretched. Ushijima stifled yet another yawn.

“But also very tiring. I am glad we are able to take a rest now,” Ushijima added, smiling slightly when Yamaguchi snorted. Karasuno had disappeared from view up ahead and they were alone once again.

Ushijima knew that what he was doing right now was risky in every sense. He was a third-year, Yamaguchi was a first and they had only met a few hours ago. But still, a foolish, childish part of himself that he had tucked away after his parent’s divorce whispered that he shouldn’t let go of Yamaguchi so soon. This was something he had never done before. It was nothing like he had felt either.

The same foolish part sang with an imaginary lute and flying cherubs that it was love and while Ushijima was mature enough to understand that it was not (yet), he was still stupidly confident enough to act on it.

Much too soon, they had reached Karasuno’s dorm. It was quiet in a way that unnerved Yamaguchi. Karasuno didn’t do quiet. What were they up to? Yamaguchi draped a hand over the doorknob loosely, glancing upwards at Ushijima.

“So… this is goodbye, then?”

“Nonsense. You will still be on the court tomorrow, no?” Ushijima smiled and Yamaguchi’s heart skipped at the promise of future interactions.

The corridor was dim but Yamaguchi wasn’t scared. The open look Ushijima was giving him made him want to stand a little taller, made him want to be confident enough to match Ushijima. With a spark of inspiration, he removed his hand from the doorknob and started patting down his pockets. 

“Yamaguchi?”

Yamaguchi wilted when he found them all to be empty.

“Ah, I wanted to give you my number but I don’t have a pen. This is so uncool,” Yamaguchi pouted and covered his face with his hands.

Ushijima started patting down his own pockets with a sudden enthusiasm but he too came out empty-handed. They stood in silence as they shuffled awkwardly, Yamaguchi’s forward attempt at flirting starting to crash and burn.

Just then, the dorm door flew open.

Yamaguchi managed to step back and dodge it but Ushijima could only stare blankly at Yamaguchi as the door swung into his line of sight and blocked his view of the other side. Tsukki was clutching the doorknob on the other side of the door, shoving a pen into his hands with a deadpan look. 

Yamaguchi opened his mouth to thank him but instead flushed bright red when he saw all the other Karasuno members piled up at the door. Sugawara and the second years were giving him a thumbs-up, Hinata and Kageyama looked plain confused, Daichi was still holding onto a snarling Nishinoya and Tanaka while Asahi looked like he was seconds away from passing out.

The door swung shut as fast as it had opened, leaving Yamaguchi red-faced and Ushijima none the wiser about everything going on behind the door.

“I- uh- I guess we have a pen now.”

They made eye contact and both started laughing, Yamaguchi with his airy giggles and Ushijima with his low chuckles, as the absurdity of the whole night began to sink in.

Yamaguchi took Ushijima’s arm and wrote his number carefully on his right palm and extended his own arm for Ushijima to do the same. The ticklish sensation of the ballpoint pen gliding across the skin of his palm made him want to squirm but Ushijima’s gentle grip on his wrist kept him in place.

Although the ink was slightly smudged, since Ushijima was a left-hander, and his handwriting was a little messy, Yamaguchi could make out his number well enough. He clutched the hand to his chest and accepted the pen back from Ushijima.

“You can message me if you ever need help with serves. Or-” Ushijima scrunched up his face “-if you change your opinion on those floppy fries.”

Laughter bubbled out again before he could stop it and he nudged Ushijima lightly in mock offense.

“You should probably go back now. See you tomorrow?” Yamaguchi extended the hand without Ushijima’s writing for Ushijima to shake, the hope in his voice evident.

Ushijima fixed him with a burning stare that warmed Yamaguchi to his very core. He nodded firmly.

“Tomorrow.”

Ushijima curled both his hands tightly around Yamaguchi’s, squeezing once before leaving without another word. Yamaguchi waited until Ushijima was safely out of view around the bend of the corridor before sinking to the floor against the wall.

The lingering pressure of Ushijima’s hands around his own made the tips of his fingers buzz with warmth. He slowly turned over his left palm and peeked underneath where the scrawled number was still imprinted on his skin. He thumbed over it carefully, trying not to smudge it beyond recognition.

But that would give Yamaguchi the opportunity to ask him again, right?

Yamaguchi squealed, kicking his legs out rapidly like a shy schoolgirl. He buried his head in his hands once again. He was getting way too excited at the prospect of seeing him, talking to _Ushijima_ , again.

And as Yamaguchi tried to wipe the dopey grin off his face and got ready to face the team inside, he couldn’t help but think:

Truly, nothing he had ever experienced could have prepared him for _this_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the very next day even though they weren't affected by one another on the court, during the breaks they kept staring at one another (Ushijima was the one staring. Yamaguchi only had the guts to peek over occasionally.) and when Tsukishima forced Yamaguchi to give Ushijima a water bottle, Ushijima smiled with his teeth and everyone in the court lost it (including the coaches).
> 
> Hello! Thanks for reading and supporting me throughout the writing of this fic! I really enjoyed writing this story and I hope to be able to write another Ushiyama fic again soon :D
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did!
> 
> (Feel free to comment fic ideas! I'm open to anything!)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi thanks for reading!


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